July 10
legible : sight :: _______ : hearing.
legible : sight :: _______ : hearing.
Help me evict the neighborhood squirrels from my car engine bay!
How do I stop squirrels from eating the wiring and nesting in my Rav4's engine bay? Pics of the crime scene under the cut. [more inside]
How to prepare for an interview without my anxiety getting to me!
I have an interview coming up early next week. Now... I'm trying to figure out how to best prepare for it without my anxiety getting the better of me. What's the best way to prepare without going overboard or underpreparing? I tend to do both. [more inside]
How I learned to stop worrying and love AI.
My industry is going full-tilt-boogie into all-AI-all-the-time. I've been informed that my current lack of enthusiasm for this is unacceptable. Help! If you are an AI lover, or have learned to fake it: how do I learn to be, or at least convincingly act like, the World's Biggest AI Booster? I have six days to start adopting this persona before an in-person AI Initiative conference where I'll be expected to participate fully. [more inside]
I'm more of an ideas guy
I'm looking for... not writing prompts exactly but more like story-expanding prompts for speculating/ideating on original non-narrative fictional, um, ideas. Like GRAPES does for world-building, but for things besides world-building. [more inside]
best dishwasher-safe nonstick muffin tins?
What are your favorite muffin tins? [more inside]
July 9
when you're inside a watermelon, you curl up
At 12:00 in this video the interview subject is translated as saying "There's a Vietnamese proverb which says 'when you're inside a watermelon you curl up in a ball; when you're inside a squash you stretch out'." I thought that was a cute saying and would like to find other references to it.
How do we come back from the abyss?
So things are dire and getting worse by the day, hour, minute. I don't want to believe that things are hopeless, so I'm looking for stories and examples of recovery. Please point me to the long-form essays, books, documentaries, or other historical examples of cultures/societies that have recovered from autocracy. [more inside]
How do I give my baby the life she deserves if I’m not wealthy?
How can an average family provide their kid with opportunities in the face of a stark global economic future? [more inside]
Video in an Educational Setting
You're not my lawyer, but I know we have a bunch of stage and film people here, my question is about clearances for scripts in a educational/workshop setting. [more inside]
Is side-gig automation consulting (Fiverr/Upwork) viable for a Microsoft
Self-taught SP Admin who handles power-automate flows, forms, and various automation for a very large company. Interested in hearing thoughts on feasibility of side-gigs on Fiverr or Upwork. [more inside]
Preventing Velcro Dog
I am worried that I am raising a "velcro dog" and could use some advice on how to prevent that from happening. I'm sorry this is so long but I wanted to give as much information as I could. [more inside]
Authoritative real-time weather data from non-US government sources
If weather.gov can still be trusted, good, but I wouldn't rely on that indefinitely.
Where can I buy a bin of super sweet watermelons in South Texas?
I’m in the Rio Grande Valley Texas and trying to buy a full bin (~50) of the sweetest watermelons I can find. I got a bin from Bagley’s Produce (Charleston Gray), but it wasn’t very sweet. I’ve heard Crimson Sweet with seeds is a better variety for sugar content.
I’ve tried calling local distributors but haven’t had much luck. Should I just drive around to wholesalers? Any tips for finding a really sweet batch or a better source?
qwertyzation
This is perhaps a random question that I hope can bring together music nerds and English majors. Help me to figure out a new way to weave words and music.
The main question is: How best to map the qwerty keyboard to midi sounds? [more inside]
Silent O Moyle with just the harp
There is a harpist in one of Joyce's Dubliners, "Two Gallants" Then I want to listen to "Silent O Moyle" on the traditional Irish harp. However, when I search the internet, including on YouTube, all I can find is the song. Does anyone know where I can listen to it for free?（A tune that is not in Be major, please. Sorry if this is in the wrong category.）Thank you for your help!
What did your cool, charismatic teacher actually *do*?
We all (mostly) know the type - the 25-30something in a room full of 17-year-olds, seeming to them the coolest person in the whole world, teaching their subject as a kind of cult of personality. But what were their moves? What did they actually, tangibly *do* to impress the class that you remember to this day? [more inside]
How to use up leftover homemade caesar salad dressing
I made caesar salad dressing from scratch for my family and there's too much left. I don't like caesar salad dressing, but I really don't want it to go to waste. Can I repurpose it? Specs within. [more inside]
Question re 7/9/2025 New York Times Connections Answer (Spoiler alert.)
One of the answers was: [more inside]
Heathrow Hotel Hassle-Free?
Due to projected flight cancellations at our final destination, a Very Big Trip for my teenager and I may now involve an overnight at Heathrow. By the time we get to Heathrow, however, we will have been traveling for many hours with most of our worldly possessions. I will be jet-lagged and stressed and expect little functioning executive functioning, so I would like to prebook a (refundable) hotel room as close as possible to Terminal 3. [more inside]
"I say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way"
What is the most visually arresting piece of art, any (visual) medium, that is more than 300 years old? Bonus points if there's anything mysterious about the origin or creation of the piece. (Human-scale please, I'm not particularly interested in architecture or e.g. Cerne Abbas for the purpose of this question.)
Current hotness in alternatives to Microsoft Office
Hi all. What's good at the moment in alternatives to Microsoft Office for Mac? [more inside]
July 8
Weird Lenovo laptop battery behaviour?
A six-year-old Lenovo laptop has started to get hot while charging, and somehow its battery life has more than doubled. Should I be worried, or thank my lucky stars? [more inside]
Whose voice is this?
How far back in time could you go before most NY'ers stink?
What was the turning point in the western cosmopolitan context that led to most people no longer carrying (what we now consider excessive) body odor?
Is it possible to make my new shoes not hurt?
I bought a pair of these. My ankles hurt bad just taking steps in them. Can't send them back and I spent a lot and the ones I got are really cute. Is there any way to save the shoes? [more inside]
Buying on facebook marketplace without facebook?
I'd like to buy a piece of furniture on facebook marketplace but I don't have an account. I don't want to set one up for privacy concerns. Is there any way to reach the seller without an account or to set one up and keep my information truly private? [more inside]
Penguin Puns
Do you have a good idea for a silly, 2-3 word maximum, penguin themed nickname? [more inside]
Windows strange cursor behavior - virus or hardware?
A few months ago my HP all-in-one touchscreen desktop running Windows 11 started behaving strangely, intermittently. The cursor arrows starts jumping around and popping up to the right side of the screen, clicking. [more inside]
Getting swole for the revolution, for some values of swole
Okay, I have learned that I can in fact exercise wearing an N95 and that my gym isn't as crowded now, so I'm getting back to it. Give advice to a person whose muscles are almost entirely tight and short and who cannot do most kinds of heavy lifting anymore for medical reasons. [more inside]
communication process tools/diagrams/explanations
I'm looking for concise tools to help explain why feedback (i.e. the listener indicating that they have received the message, do or don't understand, asking for clarification if necessary, etc) can be an important part of successful communication and how to do the feedback portion. Ideally it would be geared towards social situations and not the business world. [more inside]
Help me find a pro bono illustrator for my childrens book for Gaza
I've written a childrens book to raise funds for Gaza, I'm searching for a pro bono childrens illustrator or someone who would accept a reduced fee. Any help or advice please?
Tell me about doorbells! Wired or wireless? Video? Help!
We're revamping our entryway, and have it down to the studs. It seems like a good time to put in a doorbell - but which one? Looking on Amazon, I'm confused at the variety of options. Help? [more inside]
July 7
Why are those black and yellow storage totes everywhere?
Does anyone know the history of these 27 gallon black totes with the yellow lids and how they became the default home storage container?
Cannot connect my Macbook to the new wireless printer
I am a new owner of a Canon MG 3620 printer. But I can't get my Macbook and the printer to connect; I keep getting an error in the setup software. Help. [more inside]
What to do if you see someone abusing an animal in NYC?
A friend saw someone hitting a dog here Brooklyn. She knows where the person lives. She called 911, but they did nothing. Is there someone she can call now to report him?
A tool or service for saving everything you have already read online?
I used Pocket for dumbest thing: after reading an article, I would save it to to an archive so that, in an imagined future, I could return to it and have a snapshot of the article, a publication reference, date, and author. Do you have a good tool for this? [more inside]
travel tips for croatia and greece?
It doesn't seem like this has been asked in many years, so: travel tips for Croatia and Greece? Probably going between May-August. Would love suggestions on itinerary, things to see and do, tips for visitors, etc...
What's this classical music piece in an old TV show?
In this episode of One Step Beyond here: https://youtu.be/bI7q7ECBKWc?si=qMBI7B54UfXBRYl2&t=441 what is the classical music piece that starts playing at about 07:21? [more inside]
Drumlike frog(?) call in Japan
When we were in Japan recently, we heard a strange animal call I have been unable to identify. Details inside... [more inside]
Resources for healing from emotional neglect?
Ramani Durvasula's It's Not You: Identifying and Healing From Narcissistic People does an excellent job of identifying narcissistic behavior and suggesting strategies for recovering from it. What are some works that do the same thing for emotional neglect? [more inside]
Do schools still teach paper and pencil math?
My Gen Z kids have pretty much convinced me that there's no longer any need to teach paper and pencil arithmetic since everyone has access to a calculator now. I'm curious about whether teachers and teacher training programs agree with that and whether math teaching at the elementary level has changed accordingly. [more inside]
what's a good nose hair trimmer?
I knows, I knows, it's a trivial question, but....
As it says above, I'm in the market for nasal haircare, something to keep the foliage manageable that doesn't sound and feel like I'm sticking a weed wacker up my schnozzola. This shouldn't be that difficult, but the endless crapification of all consumer products has reached the little Panasonic trimmers I've previously used, and the most recent one I've tried sounds and feels truly scary.
Any reasonably priced options that might help with this hairy situation much appreciated.
Help me understand two pieces of the BBB
Yes the new US tax bill is BS. I have been reading through it, and there are two parts that I don't see reported on and I'm trying to understand. Can you help me understand them? [more inside]
Things to do in London with a teenager
My 14-year-old and I are leaving for London tonight and will be there for a week. What are some cool things we can see or do while we're there? Bonus: Things we can do tomorrow during the day after our flight arrives at 10:30am and before we can check into our hotel at 4pm, so we will have our bags with us. [more inside]
What accelerants cause yellow-green flames?
What accelerants cause yellow-green flames?
Flames are at the 56 second mark in this video, and I am wondering if the colour of the flames tells us anything about the type of accelerant used eg petrol, diesel, kerosene, something else.
July 6
My Brother Is Dead and I Don't Know What Killed Him Exactly.
My brother was an alcoholic. He was 35 years old and he was found dead last week crouched next to his bed (as if he fell over while sitting on the side of the bed). I knew he was relapsing but I didn't expect him to die like this, so soon, so suddenly. The police said it was 'very rare' at his age to die in such a way. [more inside]
Silver vixen
I just found a shock of white and silver hair and I want to show off. Help me make it look it's best! [more inside]
Bach Melody
Has this melody (from 0:30 to 0:45) from Bach Siciliano BWV 1031 (arr. Kempff) made its way into a pop song?
Searching for a 4X space game I played as a kid
When I was a kid, probably around 20-25 years ago, I remember playing a Windows shareware 4X space game with some particularly unique attributes. Does anyone remember this game? Details below the fold. [more inside]
What are some ideas for the absolute lowest maintenance garden?
Five years ago I bought a house and (foolishly and with good intentions) replaced quite a bit of grass with garden beds. Now I am very busy and it turns out I don't like garden maintenance very much. What can I fill these beds with that looks...OK...and keeps me sane? [more inside]
Please bestow upon me your HVAC info
It's time to replace our furnace and AC unit, and I'd like your thoughts and info. [more inside]
Where should we stay on Fire Island for a couple of nights?
We are a cis-straight couple in our 70's. We'd like to go to Fire Island (NY) and stay for two nights, midweek, in July or August. In which community should we stay? Neither of us has been to Fire Island in over 30 years. We can walk around well, but would like to be near-ish to a ferry. Bonus question: if we actually go, where should we eat? Thank you.
City art sculpture in Los Angeles area?
A long time ago (more than 10, not more than 25) my in laws went to an art museum in the LA area and saw an artwork that was something like a city in a room with moving parts. I can’t remember the name, place or artist. But I feel like the name was like Cityscape II or something. Does this sound familiar?
Best student non-profit ticketing/support tracking system?
My college legal aid group needs something like a free/inexpensive support ticket system to distribute legal aid questions to 100 student volunteers, having used a kludged gmail system for too long. What are our options? [Full details follow below the fold]. [more inside]
July 5
Thin-skinned as always, but more so
How best to treat lips that are cracking and bleeding every time there is ANY stress on the skin? [more inside]
Any way to remotely copy a car key on short notice?
Car key is 1000 miles away from car. What is the most cost effective way to fix this? [more inside]
Leaving OneNote - should I find a different provider, or self-host?
I'm annoyed with Microsoft for many reasons, but I've enjoyed using OneDrive for my files (mostly photos) for years. What are the best options for switching? [more inside]
Too many phone numbers, not enough phone
I work remotely and my "office phone" is a google voice number. I now have to manage a 2nd office google number, plus I'd like another semi-disposable/burner-ish number for junky purposes. Help me sort through the best (and sensibly affordable) way to do this? [more inside]
What music website was this?
Some time around 2020-2023, my son found a website that allowed you enter a sequence of notes (like tonematrix) in a 3d environment (using three.js?). He remembers that there were low-poly spider-like creatures on this website that followed your mouse, and that the name probably was four letters long. Does anyone have any idea what the name of this site would be? [more inside]